AMC’s Killing finds new life

Fans of AMC’s murder mystery The Killing are in luck, as the show looks to be brought back from the dead for a third season.

The previously cancelled show followed the police investigation of the murder of a high school girl in Seattle while tying together three interlocking stories as investigators chased a variety of leads. Not only did the show look at the investigation, it also followed the drama and inner turmoil of the murdered girl’s family.

Season one started strong for AMC, with the show finding a solid fan base trying to figure out the mystery. The show ended up being nominated for six Emmy’s in its first season including nominations for Mirelle Enos, and Michelle Forbs in both best actress categories.

Unfortunately all good things must eventually come to an end. Some fans were turned off after season one ended without resolution, and although the killer was eventually revealed at the end of season two, ratings couldn’t avoid dropping.

With the initial mystery all wrapped up, and tumbling ratings no one could blame AMC for canceling the show. However, even with the ratings going down, the show still attracted a core audience. Not only that, but the show is still a known brand. Netflix hopes that these positives will be enough to make a third season worth it.

Speaking of Netflix, the video streaming and rental giant is the one behind the decision to bring back the Killing. In the proposed deal, Netflix would split the cost of producing the show with AMC. The show would then air on AMC; before quickly moving to the streaming sites watch instantly catalogue shortly after.

It may seem odd having two separate sources come together to save a cancelled show, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Back in 2008, DirecTV came together with NBC to save the critical and fan favorite Friday Night Lights. In danger of being cancelled by NBC after season two, the show ended up airing for three more seasons on DirecTV. As part of their deal the show aired on NBC months after airing on DirecTV.

The move marks another aggressive push by Netflix to become a force in original programming. The site saved another cancelled show Arrested Development, and has original shows set to debut in the upcoming years. For AMC, the move allows the channel to have a relatively cheap known show that still has an audience. It could be a solid placeholder as the channel develops new shows considering the ending of hit show Breaking Bad coming to a close after five seasons.

Time will tell if the move will pay off for AMC and Netflix. The Killing may find new life, and run for another few years, or ratings may keep falling and never come back. The good news out of all this though is the possibility of bringing back cancelled shows. In a world where shows are not generally given a fair chance before they are cancelled, another source to keep quality shows on the air can never be a bad thing. Succeed or fail, the move opens up definite possibilities for the future.